Warrior
by CaptainOfTheKeep
Summary: Every girl dreams of a knight in shinning armor to come into their lives and save them from all of their troubles. But, sometimes, the knight come in the strangest ways and forms, and sometimes, it's the knight that need saving. In the end though, both the Knight and the Girl always end up saving each other... especially if it's in an arena of death.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello everybody!**

 **SO, recently, I've started up on The Hunger Games, and have decided to finally write a fanfiction on it. I honestly don't know how it will turn out, but I'm not going to spend weeks thinking about it, it's all just going to flow from the heart.**

 **The main character will be an OC:**

 **Me.**

 **That is all I can say about it. Whether I use my real name will be for me to know and if I use my real age is also for me to know. I hope to update once a week, but that might not happen.**

 **Well, enough with my blabbering, I might as well start writing.**

 **And before we start, I will be putting myself in the storyline** ** _EXACTLY_** **the way I am. What skills I have, how I treat others, my morals and my attitudes will all be real. I will take out things that aren't needed, and take skills that I have and transfer them to something similar but relevant in the HG universe, but for the most part, I will be how I am in real life.**

 **Well, let us begin...**

 **...and may the odds be ever in my favor.**

* * *

 ** _The story will be told from my default point of view the unless I specify elsewise._**

* * *

Sunlight slowly filtered in through the window, it's soft, warm, early morning rays landing on my face and causing a pleasant warmth to spread over me. I stretched in my bed as sleep slowly left me and the clogs in my brain began to quickly spin.

Lying still for a few moment, I eventually threw my feet off the side of the bed and blearily searched the room to find my morning clothes. Spotting them in a heap across the room, I quickly shuffled towards them, nimbly stepping in between the pieces of disregarded clothing and other such items. Changing quickly, I folded my night clothes and placed them near my bed before slipping on a pair of well worn boots and stepping outside. Breathing in the brisk morning air, I sighed and began to bounce around in an attempt to loosen my muscles.

After several minutes I pick up a set of weights and jogged off, slowly gaining more speed at the morning progressed. Sweat soon drenched my body and my arms began to protest at the added weight from the weights. Ignoring the protest of my body, I ran past the different parts of District 12, identifying each one in my mind as I passed them.

First was the Seam; poor, large and messy, the Seam was one place that I enjoyed going simply for the fact that somebody was always looking for some extra help and was willing to trade items for it. Passing down to the Hob, I spotted Greasy Sae starred at me as I passed, her matted hair and toothy grin unsettling to all of those who didn't know her, but a familiar face to those who did. Nodding silently towards her, I continued on my run around town until I came to the Victor's Village. Empty of all life, I starred sadly at it and made the mental decision to jog through the quiet set of houses. The streets were wide and paved, causing my feet to protest at the sudden change in terrain. Breathing in the cool air, I frowned at just how quiet it truly was, and how my footfalls seemed to shake the houses with their contact to the ground, breaking the silence that gave off an impression of breaking taboo.

Navigating myself out of there as quickly as I could, I jogged further down the road until I passed by the bakery. Slowing to a stop, I quickly walked inside to see Peeta up and at it, baking bread quickly and efficiently with his father and brothers. Smiling softly at the men, I gently put my weights down and shuffled forward grabbing an apron and tying it around my waist. Standing next to Peeta, I quickly washed the sweat off my hands and proceeded to help him knead the dough. Looking over at me, he smiled and asked, "How's life treating ya'?"

I shrugged and aggressively pressed my knuckles into the dough. "It's alright. Jared as begun to act up again and Louisa is starting to get sick. The same ol' same ol'. Moms been working herself a bit to hard, and dad is getting home really late lately, bone dead. Work isn't being kind to him. He's not even up for a fun spar or some playful wrestling like he used to be. Most of my siblings aren't really big enough to do that with. Sure Henry is massive, but he's just so sweet and kind that I don't want to get him interested in wrestling."

Peeta nodded, understanding. "I'm sorry about your sister... I really hope she gets better, everybody loves her. And you parents too."

I smiled weakly at him and went back to kneading the bread. A soft, comfortable silence enveloped the room as we made bread together, working smoothly and efficiently. Eventually, Peeta and I started jostling around until we got into a full out wrestling match that ended when Rye grabbed the two of us and threw us outside. Sitting in the mud together, we eventually started laughing and picked up where we left off until the shrill, high pitched voice of Peeta's mother cut through the atmosphere and demanded that Peeta get back into the kitchen and help bake. Breaking apart, Peeta flashed me an apologetic look and then winked at me, hinting that we would finish the match later on in the day.

After brushing myself off, I quickly grabbed my weights and jogged down the road, passing the Everdeen house during the process.

 _Everdeen... Katni-_

Shaking my head, I quickly dispelled any thoughts that began to form and concentrated solely on my running. After several minutes I came to my desired destination.

Old Man Jackson's.

Not even bothering to knock, I quietly stepped inside and put my weights down. Walking slowly around the corner, I spotted Old Man Jackson sitting quietly at a desk, several books in front of him. "You're late."

I shrugged and quickly sat down next to him, "Sorry, I ran through the Victor's Village and helped the Mellarks bake bread before coming by."

Looking over at me, the old geezer grinned and raised his white eyebrows. "You didn't stop and stare at the Everdeen house this time? Because last time you nearly busted down my front door with excitement shouting ' _She waved and smiled at me!'_ "

Turning beat red, I looked a way from him and asked, "What makes you think that it was one of the Everdeen girls that caused me to act like that? It could be any pretty girl in the District."

"Minus the fact that you turned a rather impressive shade of red after I mentioned her name and that I've lived here for nearly 90 years and how long it takes to get to my house no matter where you are and at what time you leave?"

"Yes. Minus all of those."

He grinned and wagged his eyebrow once more, "Simple. I know you. You have standards and an unfortunate tendency to find the people you have no chance with attractive. It was how you and the Mellark boy became friends as well. Someone insulted her, and you shot up to her defense faster than a bullet from a gun."

"Shut up."

Laughing, he patted me on the back and pushed a book in front of me. Diverting my attention to the book in front of me, I raised an eyebrow at its appearance. Its cover was a faded brown and the spine-cover of the book was missing. The binding of the book, surprisingly, was in rather good condition and the title was washed out, but I faintly made out the words " _American History"._

"What do you want me to do with this?"

Jackson gave me a look of exasperation. "Read it, duh."

"No... ugh, I mean, besides that." I said, my own exasperation rising.

He starred at me for several seconds before leaning forward and whispering, "I want you to not only read the book, but take it to heart. Feel its words, understand its meaning, and let it teach you as it taught me. This book," he said, tapping the cover quietly, "holds the answer to all of our problems."

I looked down at the book with a new light, wondering what exactly could be so _important_ about one single binding of pages. Gingerly, I picked up the book and was about to open it when Jackson quickly grabbed my own, "Be careful. Before you open the pages, there is something you need to understand."

I motioned for him to continue, not exactly trusting myself to speak at the moment.

"If you open it, there will be no turning back. Reading it... well, it's treason. Do you understand me?"

I nodded slowly. _'Who in their right state of mind would ban a book and label reading it as treason?'_

"I understand... you still want me to read it, correct?"

He looked around, as if checking to see that nobody else was around to hear what he was about to say, or see what he was about to do. "Of course. You're my pupil. The only kid in this entire District that actually wants to learn. You are, in my eyes, the only person in this entire place that any hope of going somewhere and making a difference in the world."

I looked down at his praise, heat rising to my face. "Thanks... You aren't so bad yourself, you old geezer."

Jackson cracked a grin and then slowly stood up, his knees cracking and groaning with the effort. "Alright... well, I don't have any lessons planned for today, so you might as well just scurry off somewhere quite and read that book. I'll be quizzing you tomorrow... after the reaping. I expect you to get to at least page one hundred."

I winked at him and began to walk towards the door. "Aww, you know me, if the book is as good as you crack it up to be, I'll probably finish it tonight."

He laughed and waved me out the door. Right as I began to take off, I remembered my weights and quickly turned around, "Hey Jackson! Do you mind if I leave my weights at your house?"

He shook his head and shooed me off his property. I chuckled and waved once more before starting off at a steady pace to find somewhere quite.

* * *

After about an hour of searching, I finally came to the boundary line and plopped down next to it, the long grass tickling the hair on my legs and sending less than pleasant shivers up my spine. Opening the first page of the book, I skipped past the table of contents and read the first set of words. It sat on a lone page, and was only one sentence long.

 _'We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.'_

I quickly closed the book, thoughts flying through my mind, _'The United States? A perfect Union? With justice and liberty for all? It honestly sounds too perfect to be true.'_

It quickly dawned on me as to why this book was outlawed and considered treason. The ideas presented in the first sentence was better than all of Panem and its so called "virtues".

Opening it up again, I continued to read, _'When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation._

 _We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed'_

I starred wide eyed at book resting in my lap. It was practically screaming a me to start a rebellion. Everything it was saying... this truly was dangerous stuff.

Despite my internal capitol citizen screaming at me to throw the book away, I discarded the feeling and continued to read, captivated by the knowledge the book held of this _United States of America._ About their Presidents and how they were changed every four years, the different parties in the political standing, the checks and balances of the government, and the power and rights that the people had.

The power and rights... the _people_ had.

 _The_ _ordinary people had._

The unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The freedom of speech, petition, assembly, religion, and press. The right to bear arms, and the refusal and denial of quartering soldiers in times of both peace and war without the consent of the owner. The right and protection from searches and seizures from the government without a signed license. The amount of freedom and power the people had overwhelmed me. The _Bill of Rights,_ as it was labeled, was in my opinion, one of the most intelligent documents written. As well as the Constitution, and the Deceleration of Independence.

All day I read on top of that lonely hill, the wind ruffling my hair softly and the sun shinning down gently. If darkness hadn't come when it did, I'm sure that I would have stayed atop that hill for the remainder of the book.

When the words on the page became undistinguishable, I closed it, leaving a small leaf to mark my place. Starting down the hill, I quickly gained speed until I was full-on sprinting down the hill and through the woods surrounding my district. A stich quickly formed in my side at the strain I was putting on my body from running and maintaining the speed I was going.

I loved every second of it. The wind blowing though my face, birds chirping in a soothing harmony, the scents of the forest raiding my nose. Breathing in deeply, I slowed my pace down to a medium jog and enjoyed the view of the surrounding forestry. Days like this were rare. Days were the wind was perfect, and the sun was not too hot, nor too cold. Days were the sky was clear and the entire world was infected with a joyous attitude.

Days were the threat and the tyranny of the Capitol seemed distant and far off.

But, days like this weren't meant to last.

I quickly broke out of the forest and onto the streets of District 12, the scents and sights of coal, sweat, poverty, and just sheer depression attacking my senses. The amount of grey and black was in stark contrast to the greens and browns of the woods. I sighed and sped up, wanting to get home as quickly as possible.

Passing by the bakery, I quickly stepped in and found my way to the back, where the kitchen was located. Sitting on the counter was three loaves of bread, wrapped in plastic, and sitting on top of them was a small note.

 _I totally won that wrestling match. Enjoy the bread!_

 _~Peeta_

I chuckled and looked around for something to write with. Finding a pencil, I scribbled on the back of the note my response.

 _Yea right bread boy. I had you pinned when you mom interrupted._ _We'll finish it tomorrow after the reaping._

 _and thanks for the bread, I most definitely will._

 _~Nathan_

* * *

I groaned softly as the sun glared through my windows, causing an unpleasant heat to build up on my eyelids. Rolling over, I slowly opened my eyes and looked at the floor, my running clothes right beside my bed. Groaning, I sat up and stretched, the suns peeping rays warming my bare chest. Moaning as my back cracked, I sighed and let my posture sag. Throwing my feet over the side of the bed, I stood up and walked down stairs, searching for any signs of life, and was mildly surprised to see half of my siblings up and at it.

Stumbling towards my youngest brother, I scooped him up in my arms, surprising him and elating a squeal to escape from his mouth. "I got you!" I shouted while moving my fingers at a rapid pace across his sides.

"Nathan! Stop! Tha- tha- THAT TICKLES! STOP!" he squealed, slapping my hands in a futile attempt to get me to release him. This only spurred on my efforts and the pace that my fingers were moving increased dramatically.

"NAAAAAAAAATTTTTTHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN! STOOOOP!"

"Say the magic word!"

"NATHAN!"

"Say it!"

"Please stop!" he finally squeaked out, his face a deep red, his breaths short and labored. I laughed and stopped tickling him immediately, ruffling his hair and planting a small kiss on his cheek. He glared at me and said, "You're mean. I don't like you."

I fake gasped and grabbed my heart, feigning heart break. Falling to my knees, I began to speak dramatically, "Oh brother of mine! How you have wounded me with your sharp words, piercing my heart just as a hunter's arrow pierces a stag, instantly fatal." Falling onto the ground face first, I pretended to be dead, and instantly regretted it later not even a minute later.

From somewhere behind me, one of my siblings shouted "DOG PILE!" and fear filled my heart. Closing my eyes, I braced myself for about 300 pounds of weight to come crashing down on my back.

Grunting as the air was blasted out of my lungs, I gasped and placed my hands in a push-up position, and pressed against the ground. Steadily, I rose from my position on the ground and shook all of my siblings off then proceeded to pounce on one of them, and a giant wrestling match broke out. After several minutes, my parents walked into the room, breaking apart the fight and instructing us all to get ready for the reaping today.

My youngest siblings groaned at the prospect of getting dressed up, while my middle brothers paled slightly. I ruffled the hair on their heads and said, "First one ready will get half of my meals for the rest of the month."

They both looked up at me for a second, before shooting off to do whatever was needed to be presentable for the reaping. I smiled and turned around, my heart hammering in my chest. Today was the only day each year that I dreaded. It was a day where I could be taken away from my family. A day where someone I cared about could be chosen and I would never see them again.

A day of death, regret, and sorrow.

A day that deserved to die... just like the boys and girls whos names were called.

Pushing those thoughts out of my mind, I quickly went through the motions of helping my mother get my siblings ready, making sure everything was in order before preparing myself.

Taking a quick bath, I dried myself off and put on a button up white shirt that was far to small in the shoulders and chest and a pair of pants that had began to become a bit of a tight squeeze to fit into, but it was all that we had at the moment.

Standing in front of a mirror, I looked at myself, taking in all of the details that I might never get to appreciate again. My once large nose was now even with the rest of my face, and my ears weren't so small anymore. My jaw, one lined with baby fat, had become chiseled and strong through puberty, that, no matter what I did, always had a growth of facial hair on it. My eyes, once appeared a muddy brown to me were now a vibrant green with a thick layer of brown surrounding the pupil. My teeth, which had once been a nuisance to take care of, were not a brilliant white and neatly aligned in my mouth. My dirty, ratty blonde hair was now a shinning golden color that waved and curled slightly at the edges. Fat had become defined, weak had become strong, ugly had become beautiful.

How depressing it was that I truly noticed these things on the day of my possible death sentence.

Turning away from the mirror, I skipped down the hall until I met up with the rest of my siblings, waiting patiently by the door with my mother and father. Together, we all walked out and down the street, joining the crowds of people who were all walking towards the town center.

Falling in step with one of my younger brothers, I noticed his shaking hands and quickly grabbed one of them. "Hey, it'll be a right. This is your first year. You're not going to get picked. Don't worry." I said encouragingly, bumping him in the shoulder.

He looked up at me, fear clearly evident in his eyes. "But, what if I do?"

"You won't Henry. I promise." I reassured, holding up my free pinkie finger, "I pinkie promise."

He laughed and wrapped his pinkie around mine. Grabbing him by the arms, I lifted him up onto my shoulders and made a small *oof* noise as I let go. "You're fat." I muttered while rolling my shoulder blades in an attempt to lesson some of the weight on my shoulders. "Well, I'm sorry. You're the one who picked me up and put me on your shoulders. Besides, you're no feather weight yourself."

I huffed and slapped him on the arm. It wasn't untrue, I was heavy. But... it was heavy in a good way. A muscular way, and that was a fact I was very proud of.

Slowly, the crowd began to thin out and I was left standing with my older sister, and two younger brothers. Quickly taking Henry off my shoulders, I placed him gently on the ground and guided him to a line of all boys. "Okay," I started, "They're going to prick your finger to draw blood. It's just to show that you showed up. Nothing serious. It doesn't hurt, I promise. It real quick."

He raised an eyebrow at me and said, "I'm not a baby, you know."

I rolled my eyes. "I know your not. I just want you to know what is going on so you don't as a butt-ton of questions."

He shrugged and turned around.

I rolled my eyes and began to stare off into space, tapping my foot patiently. Just before my mind could completely dive off into dream land, I was elbowed sharply in the back. Grunting at the sudden blunt force, I turned around and looked at the culprit. It was a tall kid that was motioning with his head for me to move forward. Turning back around, I noticed a pair of peacekeepers marching towards my direction. Quickly shuffling forward, I stopped behind the person in front of me. Eyeing the peacekeepers, they stared at me for a moment of so before turning around and walking back to their post.

I scoffed. _Stupid Capitol People._

The line slowly became shorter until is was my turn. Going into autopilot, I stuck my finger and began to raise and lower my eyebrows. Quickly and efficiently, they pricked my finger, drawing blood, and wiped it on a piece of paper, showing that I signed in.

Turning in the direction of the 16 year olds, I began to whistle and practically skipped over there. Finding an empty spot, I grew still and eventually found myself standing next to the same kid who elbowed me in the back just a few minutes ago. He was tall, standing at about 6'3. His shoulders were a decent width, broad enough were it didn't look disproportionate with his height. He had black hair, dark, heavy brows and eyes were a deep steely grey. His hands were calloused and scared marred his arms in certain places. He was definitely from the Seam, no doubt about it. His eyes held the strength of a hunter and survivor.

He was definitely a Seam kid. No doubt about it. That look in his eyes, it was something that I identified in myself from time to time.

Quite suddenly, his head turned in my direction, but his eyes were obviously trained on someone else. A lopsided smirk slowly crept onto his face and he made a goofy face to someone in the girls section.

Curiosity getting the better of me, I turned my head to be in line with his vision and my gaze quickly fell on Katniss Everdeen.

 _'Oh gosh! Frick! She's right there! Wow... she looks really good... Dangit, I wish I had done my hair today and washed my face. Crap!'_

Heat quickly began to rise to my face the longer I looked at her. Suddenly, her gaze broke away from the boy's next to me and locked onto me.

The heat in my face was unbearable, yet I didn't break eye contact. This could be my last time getting to look at her in person, so I was going to take advantage of it.

Failing to resist the temptation, a grin broke out on my face and I winked at her. Rolling her eyes, she looked away and trained her attention on the stage where Mayor Undersee was currently standing. Training my attention back to the stage as well, I winced and whispered to nobody in particular, "Wow. Undersee is looking old. I hope he doesn't die soon. That'd be tragic for his family."

The boy next to me looked over and replied,"Same. I hope he doesn't die either."

I turned and looked at him, sticking my hand out in greeting. "Nathan."

Gripping it firmly, he replied, "Gale"

Turning our attention back to the front, I attempted to keep the conversation up and going.

"So, you from the Seam?" I asked. He looked over at me and replied somewhat guarded, "Yeah, how'd you know?"

Quickly putting two and two together, I realized that he probably though I was referring to his somewhat shabby clothing and semi-dirty face as an attribute to being poor. Making a quick recovery, I responded, "Your eyes. Only the tough kids in the Seam have eyes like yours. The look of a survivor, of someone who know what to do."

He nodded slowly his guard slowly coming down. "Alright. Well, where are you from? The Town?"

I shook my head and replied "Na. The Edge." A look of understanding came across his face and he said, "Oh! You're that family with the six kids, right?"

I nodded and grinned brightly, "Yep! That's us!"

Gale shook his head softly, "Why on earth did your parents decided to have six kids? In District 12 no less?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "Don't ask me. I guess they just love each other enough to have six kids."

Gale looked around and aid, "Yeah but, they're just subjecting six innocent souls to the reaping. Why would they want to do that?"

I frowned. That though had never occurred to me, and now that it did, I wasn't all too sure about how I felt about it. The only answer I could come up with was, "I don't know. I suppose they never thought about it like that."

Gale turned his full attention back to the stage and said, "If I ever get married, I'm never going to have children." before going silent.

It was painfully obvious; the conversation was over.

Turning my full attention back to the front, I sighed and winced when a splash of pink appeared amidst the muted greys, black, and whites of District 12's upper class.

Effie Trinket had just walked on stage. Leaning in towards the microphone, she squeaked into it, "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be _EVER_ in _YOUR_ favor!"

I groaned and muttered, "I don't know what will give me an aneurysm first, her voice or the amount of bright, vibrant, ugly pink she is wearing." Gale looked over at me and asked, "What's an aneurysm?"

I stared at him mentally sighed at his unintelligence. Then it dawned in me that most kids didn't know half of the things that I did. Mentally slapping myself, I explained what an aneurysm was. "An aneurysm is when a weakness in a blood vessel in the brain that balloons and fills with blood. When it's unruptured, there are no symptoms, but if ruptured, symptoms can include: Severe headaches, Gastrointestinal affects include nausea or vomiting. Bleeding, dizziness, light sensitivity, headache, stiff neck, or thunderclap headaches also common side-affects."

Gale blinked at me, a completely bewildered look on his face, and I knew that everything that I just said was way over his head. Sighing, I dumbed down my explanation, " An aneurysm is were a vein in you head gets full of blood and if it pops, you can get all of those symptoms that I listed."

Understanding dawned on his face and he muttered, "Why couldn't you just say that in the first place?"

I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to the front, where Effie had just finished her little speech and was standing back, eyes closed, hands folded and reverently reciting the words to the video that explained the need and cause of the Hunger Games. Hatred began to spark up inside me. Did they actually believe the stuff that the Capitol pumped into their heads? My mind quickly flashed back to the book _American History_ and I growled. Something dark inside of me began to stir, and it made me want to destroy the world we knew and rebuild it.

But, just as quickly as it had come, it was gone, and I stood there bewildered at what I had just internally experienced. Effie's high pitch, ridiculous voice brought me back to reality as she said, "Now, as proper tradition. Ladies first!"

Walking over to the bowl on the girls side, she reached a dainty hand inside the bowl full of death sentences and quickly grabbed one. Opening it up, she strutted over to the microphone and said into it, "Primrose Everdeen."

My eyes widened, and my head quickly shot over to the girls section were a small little girl was standing alone. My heart immediately caught in my throat. She resembled my little sister so much that it was painful. Turning my head away, I stared at the boy's bowl, hoping that one of my siblings wouldn't get called.

"Well," Effie began, motioning for the young girl to step forward, "C'mon now. Don't be shy! C'mon!"

Slowly, the younger girl stepped into the empty isle between the boy's and girls section and began to walk forward, her hands trembling slightly. Not even a few steps out, commotion broke out. "Prim!"

Turning around, the young girl with tears in her eyes shouted, "Katniss!"

 _Katniss..._

Turning my attention towards the isle, I watched the drama fold out. Rushing towards her sister, Katniss grabbed her sister up and when they tried to pull her away she began violently thrashing against the guards until she stood still and said defiantly, "I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!"

Silence enveloped the whole district. Nobody had ever volunteered from District 12... _nobody._

"Well," Effie said slowly, "District 12's first volunteer. There is of course the process of getting the rea-"

"Of for the love of all. Just let the girl come up. Don't bother her. Please." Mayor Undersee whispered, his eyes tired and sad. Effie huffed and turned back to the microphone. "Alright... Well, come on up."

Primrose started screaming and grabbing onto Katniss, preventing her from going up to the front. Gale, tensing up, shoved past me and hoisted the crying girl over his shoulder, "Skiddy up Catnip." he said and motioned up to the front with his eyes.

The revelation seemed to dawn on Katniss and she turned a shade whiter before standing up straight and walking towards the front steadily. Standing on Effie's right, she stared at the crowed of the teenaged children in District 12. "What's your name dear?" Effie asked sweetly, a fake smile plastered on her face.

"K-Katniss Everdeen."

"Well! I bet my luck stars that was your sister! Didn't want her to steal all of the glory from you, did you?"

Katniss didn't say anything. She just stood there, eyes boring into the crowds. I shuddered and closed my eyes. Of course my luck would make it end up were the girl was crushing on was entered into the Hunger Games.

"Well! Now for the Boys'!" Effie squeaked, generally excited. Tiptoeing over towards the boys' bowl, she shoved her hand in there and pulled out a thin slip of paper that contained a young boy's death. Leaning into the microphone, Effie opened up the slip of paper and read the name that made my blood run cold.

"Peeta Mellark."

My head snapped back and my gaze quickly landed on my best friend, who stood completely still, shaking slightly and his mouth was hanging open. First the girl I practically loved, and then my best friend for years on end to get thrown into the game of death?. I think not.

I snapped.

Punching the Peacekeeper that came to guide Peeta to the stage in the face, I stood in front of my best friend protectively, pushing the Peacekeepers that charged towards us away and shouted as loud as I could, "TAKE ME! I VOULNTEER AS TRIBUTE!"

Silence enveloped the district once more. Two volunteers in one day? That wasn't even considered possible for our district.

The Peacekeepers stopped their advances and stared warily at me, their batons out and ready. Effie looked disgusted at the display of violence against the Peacekeepers and stammered out slowly, "W-Well. This is a... surprise. I suppose... you can volunteer... and... well... come on up."

I turned around and gripped Peeta's shoulder tightly. "It'll be alright."

Pivoting on my heel, I strode up as confidently as I could to the front, my eyes hard-set and my mouth forming a small, natural frown. Stopping next to Effie, I stood tall and straight, doing my best to not betray the fear I was currently feeling. "So, what's your name honey?" Effie asked, distain clearly visible in her eyes. I was quite for a moment before leaning into the microphone, "Nathan Talcott."

Motioning for us to come closer, she said to the two of us, "Now, shake hands." Sticking my hand out, I gripped Katniss's small, calloused hand in my large, rough hand, applying enough pressure to be firm, but not enough to be too tight. Katniss eyed me warily and I simply stared at her, pushing down the blush that was attempting to creep up my neck.

Having nothing else to say, Effie Trinket turned to face the crowd and said "May I present District 12's tributes of the 74th Hunger Games!" She began to applaud loudly and was met with silence. Slowing her clapping to stop, she stared into the crowd, as if mentally willing every person to start clapping. Instead, they all in perfect silence took their index, middle, and ring finger, brought it to their mouths, kissed it, and rose it up in the air.

Tears started to prick my eyes.

Within the next 96 hours, I would be in the Hunger Games.

I would have to fight to survive.

I would have to fight to win.

* * *

 **Woah. IDK man, this chapter just flowed. Dang.**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed it.**

 **See you all next chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2: Goodbyes, trains, and liqour

**Alright Well... "Warrior" definitely didn't get as much attention as "In a Flash" did, but that's okay. My description is kind of lame. Anyway, thank you to the two authors who did follow my story.**

 **Make sure to check out my other story "** ** _In a Flash"_** **If you're a Percy Jackson fan as well!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games Trilogy or anything associated with it. All rights go to Suzanne Collins, while the rights to the OC belong to me.**

 **Well, let's get started.**

* * *

 ** _Previously_**

 _Having nothing else to say, Effie Trinket turned to face the crowd and said "May I present District 12's tributes of the 74th Hunger Games!" She began to applaud loudly and was met with silence. Slowing her clapping to stop, she stared into the crowd, as if mentally willing every person to start clapping. Instead, they all in perfect silence took their index, middle, and ring finger, brought it to their mouths, kissed it, and rose it up in the air._

 _Tears started to prick my eyes._

 _Within the next 96 hours, I would be in the Hunger Games._

 _I would have to fight to survive._

 _I would have to fight to win._

* * *

We were quickly shuffled off stage and hustled into separate rooms in the Justice Building. I sat alone, enjoying the solitude, but also hating it at the same time. Almost immediately, my body lost control of the still state it was in and my eyes began raking the walls and my legs bounced up and down, making a steady * _thumpthumpthump*_ noise fill the room.

It was oddly comforting.

Suddenly, the door opened and a Peacekeeper said gruffly, "You have three minutes." before standing aside and letting my family pile in.

The tears and glares were plentiful as I was hugged to death. Eventually, I managed to get all of my siblings off of me after whispering quite words of love and comfort to each of them only for my mother to ask, "Why on earth did you volunteer?"

The posed question made the room go silent. Knowing my time was almost up, I quickly answered, "He's my best friend mom. I can't let him go and die."

With tears in her eyes, she angrily asked, "Oh, so its okay if you die, but not him?!"

Turning red, I looked down and said nothing. After a second or two, a pair of warm arms wrapped around me and pulled me into a tight hug. "I love you Nathan. You're all I could ask for in a kid. I know that you're heart is good and pure. Despite my frustration and despair at you volunteering, I know that you will do your best."

Tears quickly pooled in my eyes, threatening to fall. When the rest of my family wrapped their arms around me, pulling me into a warm embrace, a single, lone tear made its way down my cheek, containing all of my emotions. My love for my family, the desire to win, and everything else.

Suddenly, the door burst open and the pair of Peacekeepers stationed outside my door grabbed my family members and growled, "Time's up." before yanking them outside, ignoring the protest and cries of my siblings.

I watched them being forcefully removed from the hall and mouth my last," _I love you."_

Silence enveloped the room once more before it was broken by the sound of the door opening and a Peacekeeper saying, "You have three minutes."

Turning to look at my guest, I grinned softly when I saw Peeta standing in the doorway. "Hey Yeast man, what's shaking?"

In return, he glared at me, before a smile crept its way onto his face and we embraced each other. "Oh you bloody idiot! Why on Earth did you volunteer for me?" he muttered softly into my ear.

I shrugged and replied, "Ah, you know me. I couldn't let both my best friend and the girl I love go to a death trap without me. Where is the fun in that? And besides... I had a awkward boner that just wouldn't go away. Needed to do something to get rid of it, right?"

Peeta broke out laughing, his eyes twinkling with their usual mirth. "And did it work?"

I nodded. "I think he's scared now to ever come out in fear that I'll end up doing something stupid again."

"I would be too."

"Shut up twat."

We stood there silently, just enjoying each others company, both of us accepting the fact that we would probably never see each other in person. Just before the Peacekeeper came in and ruined everything, Peeta looked at me and said, "You take care of her Nathan. She is more that just a tribute to both of us, you know that."

I nodded slowly, "Don't worry Pete. You know how I feel. I'll do my best."

He sighed, grabbed me in a tight hug once more, and said softly, "I know you will." Before the Peacekeepers came in and ruined the moment.

I was left alone for several minutes, and I slowly began to think that I wouldn't have any more visitors until the door busted open and in walked Old Man Jackson. I grinned at his cranky attitude, laughing on the inside as he waved his cane at the Peacekeeper. "I'll spend how ever long I want with the boy. He's my pupil and I have the right to reprimand him for doing something so stupid! Now get out of my face." he growled out and instead of getting pummeled right then and there on the spot, the Peacekeeper cracked a smile and shrugged his shoulders.

"Alright Jackson. I'll give you five minutes."

Old Man Jackson nodded and turned his attention towards me. I opened my mouth to offer up an excuse as to why I volunteered, but his cane was quicker. It came crashing down on my head with a surprising amount of force. "Sit down moron." he grumbled while whacking me again with his cane.

I quickly complied and sat down in the plush chair, pulling one up for him as well. He raised an eyebrow and ignored the chair completely. "Alright. Listen here boy. I won't waste time berating you with my words, despite how much I would enjoy doing so, and I'll cut to the chase. You're stronger than anybody else that will be in that arena."

I opened my mouth as to object, but he quickly hit me with his cane again and I fell back into my seat. "You probably aren't the strongest physically, but you'll be able to give any boy in that hell a very good run for their money. You're the strongest because of your mind. You're smart, incredibly so. It's honestly depressing that you were born into such a poor and unprivileged district, where your knowledge can't be used and enhanced to the best it can be. I've seen the plans and ideas you've sketched out and jotted down in your notes. The idea for safer coal mining, more efficient ways to extract resources from the Earth. They're brilliant. And you were a youngling then. Now, well, I know that you can do just about anything if you apply yourself. You're the smartest kid in this entire district, there is no doubt in my mind. You've shown me up a couple of time, so I know you can win."

He grinned at me, showing off his pearly whites. "Heck, you are even pretty decent with swords and other uncivilized weapons. I've seen you and the boys of the village go at it. You always end out on top, even if you have the whole village youth against you. You've got a natural talent for about anything you want to be good at it. It's a rare gift you have, and I know that you'll use it to your advantage."

I turned red and thanked him quietly for the praise. He sighed and rested a hand on my shoulder. "Listen, son, before the douche at the door yanks me out, there is one last thing I need to tell you."

I raised an eyebrow, giving him the signal to continue. "Love is a dangerous emotion. It can drive people to do the impossible, make their bodies do extraordinary feats that normally wouldn't be possible. But, it's also can drive people to their deaths. If it comes down to killing Katniss, or getting yourself killed, well, I know you'll make the right choice. Think with you head, not with you heart." he finished while grabbing my hands and pressing something into them.

I stared at him as he walked towards the door, rolling the object around in my hands. Right before he left, he turned his head and cracked me a grin, "But, don't be afraid to follow your heart either. It knows what is right and wrong, while you head knows what is wise and foolish. Use them both, and they will see you through."

I smiled and he winked at me before walking out of the room.

The rest afterwards was a blur. The Mellarks (minus Peeta) stopped by and thanked me for saving their son, with Rye and Graham promising to make sure my family was well feed. I thanked them and sat in solitude until the Peacekeeper came for me. I soon found myself walking step in step with Katniss and I did my best to not look at her. _Cool and calm._ I mentally chanted, remembering what Jackson had said and decided the best thing for me to do was to appear uncaring or even confident. Deciding to go with confident, I straightened my posture, set my shoulders back, threw a little swagger into my walk, and borderline strutted all the way to the train.

I could practically feel the eyes of every person watching me, burning holes into my back. It **_was_** a strange sight to see a tribute from District 12 looking confident. Most of the time we looked thin, harrowed, and lifeless. Not the strong, lithe, dangerous, and emotionless pair that Katniss and I made.

I mentally grinned. _"we're going to the Hunger Games, and I'm practically strutting down death alley. I'll at least I'll be remembered as that crazy guy from 12 who strutted down the carpet."_ My mind continued to wonder until it landed upon the image of my damp, toned form reflecting off the Capitol's perfect mirrors, fresh out of the showers.

What can I say? I'm kind of in love with myself.

I tucked my head in and chuckled at my own vanity. This would be the most interesting, and possibly the most dangerous, time in my life, and I was sure going to make the best of it.

* * *

Eventually, we made it to the train station and were quickly herded on. A young man dressed in all white lead us to a room full of plush chairs, expensive looking everything, and ridiculously soft carpet that I felt THROUGH my shoes. A low whistle left through my mouth. "Dang. This place in _f.a.n.c.y."_ I muttered to no one in particular. Katniss glared at me and walked off to go sit in a chair located in the corner of the room.

Complement the interior decorator of the place indirectly? _CHECK._

Score points with the girl you're attracted to? _FAIL._

 _Shoot._

Waddling over in to where Katniss was sitting, I did my best to appear calm and collected, only to end up whistling a jolly sounding toon and scanning every inch of the room. When I turned my attention back to Katniss, I was caught in her glare once more. Starting to get a little fed up with all her glaring, I raised an eyebrow in return and asked, "Do I have something on my face?"

She remained silent. Stepping closer, I leaned in towards her and asked again, "Do I have something on my face?"

Still no reply.

Standing up, I turned away and went to go find my own chair to sit in. Just as I was about to sit down, I felt a small hand tap my shoulder. Turning around, I found myself face to face with a young Avox, no older than 10 years of age. Crouching down to be at her eye level, I looked at her in the eyes and asked, "Do you have something you want me to see?"

Her eyes widened and she made frantic shushing motions with her hands before covering her ears. I took a step back, frowning slightly. I understood her reaction; it was considered an act of treason to talk directly to and Avox, unless it was an order or command.

After several moments, the young girl took her hands off her ears and motioned for me to follow her. Falling instep behind her, she lead me to a bedroom, then promptly left me alone.

Great.

Doing a full 360, I mentally noted the fantastic interior designing and gave my compliments to the designer. Deciding to try out the bed, I flopped on it and sighed in pleasure as I sunk into the mattress. It was perfect, soft enough to were you sunk down but not to the point were it became uncomfortable.

I had to give it to the capitol. Despite the fact that they were murder loving, child killing psychos, they _DID_ have quite a taste for the finer things in life,

Groaning, I rolled out of the bed, albeit with difficulty, and peeled off my sweaty clothes. Standing in front of the mirror, my hands slowly found their way to a long, jagged scar that went from my right shoulder to my lower left ribcage. I traced my fingers along the pale skin, shivering as all the hair on my body stood on end with the realization that, if I somehow won, my body would probably be covered in multiple scars like this one. Shaking the thoughts out of my head, I quickly made my way to the bathroom and took the longest, most pleasurable, and first-ever shower in my life.

* * *

Hair still damp, I made my way into the main room of the dinning car to find that I was the only one there. Plunking myself down in a chair, my boredom level sky rocketed after about thirty-five seconds. No amount of twiddling my thumbs, whistling, humming, or daydreaming could keep me entertained.

Eyes raking the room for somebody to talk to, they fell upon an Avox standing in the far left corner of the room. Waving him over, I whispered in his ear, "Do you guys, by any chance, have a Guitar onboard?"

The Avox was silent for a moment, eyes rolled up into his head, clearly racking his brain to see if they did. Eventually, he nodded his head yes. Grinning, I asked him to bring it to me. The boy nodded before sprinting off to fetch the guitar. After about roughly a minute or so, he came back holding the instrument. Handing it over to me, I thanked the boy and plucked at the strings for a moment before strumming a few chords. Eventually, I lost myself in the music, my fingers moving on their own accord, plucking the strings with various levels of intensity, slowly growing faster until I was practically plucking all of the strings at once.

For several minutes I did this until my fingers began to hurt from the strain and I decided to put the guitar down. Right as I began to fear that I would be alone forever, Haymitch stumbled in. Standing up, I was about to walk over to Haymitch to greet him, only for the said victor to grab the entire alcohol tray, and stagger off. "Stuupidd... rickety... train..." he slurred before disappearing through the door way.

It took my brain a moment before it realized that he had literally taken at least 5 gallons of liquor with him, and he was already drunk off his rocker. _Oh goodness..._ _I hope he isn't that drunk when he has to instruct us. Because if so... we're screwed to high heavens._

After Haymitch left to go drown with his spirits, I went and sat back down, hoping that somebody, _anybody,_ would come and talk to me. My eyes began to twitch with annoyance, Effie walked in. Jumping out of my chair in joy, I practically pounced on her and began speaking in rapid fire mode. Effie, not knowing what else to do, did the thing that came naturally to any female when a guy got too close.

She kneed me in the crotch.

Hard.

Falling to the ground in pain, I groaned and squirmed while trying to maintain my man-card at the same time. Personally, I feel that I did a pretty good job, but the look on Effie's face told me other wise. "Thanks Effie... I needed that."

Not knowing what else to say, she responded with a short, "You're welcome." before walking into the direction of the bedrooms to fetch Katniss.

What seemed like a life time later, I eventually manage to get on my feet again and stumble towards "my" chair. Plopping down in it, I groaned and checked to see if both my balls were still, well, balls and not pancakes. Sighing in relief when my worst fears were shot out of the sky, I leaned back and decided to take a quick nap, letting my heavy eyes close and slowly I slipped into a blissful sleep.

* * *

After what only seem a few seconds, I was shaken awake by an Avox for dinner.

Rubbing my eyes, I sat up and slowly made my way to the table where Effie and Katniss were seated. Frowning, Effie scanned the room before asking, "Where's Haymitch?" Katniss gave Effie a blank stare while I grumbled, "Last I saw, he went into the bedrooms with about 5 gallons of liquor."

Effie sighed, it what appeared to be relief, as if she didn't really want him to come to dinner. "Well... it _HAS_ been a long day."

I shrugged and waited patiently for dinner to arrive. When it did, well, the Capitol certainly didn't disappoint. Course upon course came; soups, meats, breads, drinks, vegetables, fruits, and so much more.

Needless to say, Katniss and I stuffed ourselves full.

About halfway through the meal, Effie commented, "Well, at least you two have manners. The last pair of children ate like wild animals. Completely disgusting!"

Katniss froze mid-bite, starring wide eyed at Effie before dropping her utensils and savagely eating with both of her hands.

Like an animal.

I starred at Effie with wide eyes, completely shocked at her offhand comment, before deciding to eat with my hands as well. Gabbing meat and bread, I stuffed it all in my mouth at once, and just to top it off, I chewed with my mouth open.

The horrified look on Effie's face caused me to snort with laughter. It was just too much, with her makeup making the expression on her face about ten times more intense, I just about died, both from laughter and choking on a piece of beef.

Once dinner was finished, Katniss topped her rude and animalistic behavior off by wiping her hands on the table cloth. I decided to go with something a little more masculine and wipe my hands all over my clothes, effectively staining them.

Effie, who looked about ready to upchuck her dinner, slowly walked over to one of the couches and motion for us to join her.

My curiosity piqued, I stood up and sat down on a nearby couch. Katniss soon join me.

Effie clapped for an Avox, and seemingly out of nowhere, one appeared and turned on the television, showing us a replay of the Reapings.

The reapings from one and two were normal, with both of the tributes from each district falling over their feet to get onto the stage. Both of one's were tall and willowly, while two's were very different. The male tribute was a mass of muscle, while the female was short, lithe, and crazy looking. Needless to say, I was definitely going to be wary of them. District three were two ashen faced tributes, neither one of them impressive looking. Four, they just seemed just a bit scared, nothing else, with the female have slim, fox-like features. Five through ten were all the same; terrified, pale with fear, and generally looked like they'd rather just be shot on the spot than go to the games. The two tributes from eleven were both dark skinned, and the female was a young girl that was no older than twelve. I felt Katniss tense up besides me and I raised an eyebrow in her direction. Next up was our district. The commotion that arouse when Katniss volunteered for Prim was probably the most interesting thing that had ever happened in District 12. When they called Peeta's name, well, what I did next completely blew Katniss's volunteer out of the water. I watched myself shove people aside and stand in front of Peeta protectively. When the Peacekeepers came close, I slugged one right in the face, cracking the plastic on his helmet and I shoved the others into each other before volunteering as tribute. There was an audible gasp from the commentators as they saw me, and stuttered out a lame attempt in trying to make District 12 not the source of hatred for all of Panem.

A low whistle escaped my mouth. Katniss nodded and muttered "Amen. I'm honestly surprised they didn't shoot you on the spot."

"Same."

Effie rolled her eyes and said, "Well, both you guys and you're mentor need to learn some manners! I can't believe Haymitch had the audacity to get drunk on such an important day!"

I grinned and shot back, "Well, he's drunk every year, so, does it really make a difference?"

Katniss cracked a smile and corrected me, "He's drunk every day." Before the two of us busted out laughing. Said person suddenly made an appearance, placing the empty liquor tray on the cart and asked, "Is... dinner ready?" Before losing the contents of his stomach, retching all over the floor, and then promptly slipping and falling straight into his own mess.

Effie squeaked in disgust and stood up abruptly. "Well, he's all that you guys have, so laugh away!" Skipping around Haymitch's unconscious form, she hopped into the sleeping car and wasn't seen for the rest of the night.

Katniss and I looked at each other before I shrugged and moved to get Haymitch cleaned up. Katniss quickly followed my, but I waved her off and said that I could manage it. She looked a bit skeptical and somewhat offended, but nodded and went off to her room none the less.

Throwing the intoxicated man over my shoulder, I trudged to the bathroom and dropped his body in the bathtub. Haymitch, who was now awake, didn't even seem to noticed that his surroundings were much different or that cold water was currently being sprayed on him. Groaning in annoyance, I took a deep breath plunged into the world of all things alcohol and got the man washed, dressed, and ready for bed as quickly as I could before getting myself ready for bed.

Barely noticing that my pants were only half on and that my head was in the arm slot of my shirt, I fell onto my bed and immediately feel into nightmare filled sleep.

* * *

 **Alright! Well, sorry, this chapter is kinda boring, but, every story need a filler chapter. I'll try to get the next one up by next week... or next year.**

 **Which ever one is vibing more with me.**

 **ALSO! THERE IS A POLL ON MY PROFILE! GO VOTE PLEASE! If I don't get enough votes by the start of the Hunger Games, well... then I'll just pick what aver I want. SO PLEASE! DO THE POLL!**

 **And to everybody who was waiting for me to update, thank SexyBonBon, who finally motivated me to get of my lazy arse and update. XD**

 **I'll try to update my other stories ASAP.**

 **See you guys next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3: Warriors of Flame

**A/N:BUENOS DIAS AMIGOS!**

 **How are you guys doing!? Good? That's great!**

 **Well, thanks to all who read my story and followed it... *cough* Nobody *cough***

 **Thanks to** ** _glittergirl20_** **for taking the review my story! I hope that I'll be able to clear up any misconceptions in the chapters to come, and if I don't then feel free to shoot me a PM or leave a review asking for some clarification, and I'll do my best to clear things up!**

 **And most of all, a huge thanks to** ** _SexyBonBon,_** **who helped push me off the couch, so to speak, and inspired me to update my story and keep updating it. XD**

 **Make sure to check out her stories,** ** _24 to life: 24th Hunger Games_** **and** ** _Hell Island- 25th Hunger Games._** **They're both really good reads and they had, and still have, me sitting on the edge of my chair and stressing out waiting for the updates to come out!**

 **Anyway, to the next chapter!**

* * *

Dreams were never my friend.

As a matter of fact, some of them made me _lose_ friends.

I sat in my bed, sweat covering my body, soaking into my sheets and saturating my pours, making my skin feel grimy and slick to the touch. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, mentally urging the nightmares to go away, shaking ever so slightly. Eventually, I grew tired of wallowing in fear on my bed and stood up to go get dressed for the day.

After a cold, calming shower and shaving the scruff off my face, I picked out a deep red colored shirt, a pair of dark, slightly tight jeans, and a light brown bomber jacket. Starring in front of the mirror, I admired myself for a moment, tracing my fingers against my clean shaven jawline, smiling softly at the feeling of the hair roots pricking my fingertips, before shaking my head and storming out of my bedroom.

Bumping into Effie as I came out of the door, the Capitol escort squeaked in surprise and said, "OH! Goodie! You're already awake and looking nice! GoodieGoodieGoodie! Well, don't delay! Head out to the dinning car. And please, today, let's use manners, hmm?"

I rolled my eyes and replied with a curt, "Yes ma'am."

Making my way to the dinning car, I once again found myself alone, but this time the table was covered in all different sorts of food. Growling quietly with my mouth and loudly with my stomach, I slowly walked towards the food and scanned everything, looking for something that called out to me. Frowning in disappointment when nothing did, I reorted to simply filling my plate up until it could hold no more, hoping that at least one of the articles of food on my plate would be good. Sitting myself down, I quickly began to eat only to stop after a moment, realizing that I was, essentially, being fattened up like a pig before a slaughter.

The thought made me sick to my stomach, I quickly put my fork down and starred at my food. After a moment of silence, Effie walked into the room and sat down across from me, opting for a simple cup of dark brown, almost black, liquid. I raised an eyebrow in question. Effie looked up and me and said, "Coffee. Would you like to try some?"

I made a face and quickly shook my head. "No. Jackson as taught me all about coffee, and I have no desire to ever drink it."

Effie looked thoroughly offended, but put her mug down nonetheless. Looking down at my food, I began to tap my fork against my plate, slowly getting into a rhythm and was about to start singing when Effie cleared her throat and gave me the evil eye. I looked at her and kept tapping my fork against my plate. "Is there something you need?" I asked politely, hoping that she would stop starring at me. Effie motioned at my fork and I looked down at it. "You want my fork?" I poked, now intentionally pressing her buttons to see how she would react. A large grin spread across my face as Effie rolled not just her eyes, but her entire head, in exasperation.

"Good gracious! If you're this annoying in the games, then you'll be killed off in a mater of moments!"

Before I could reply, Katniss walked into the room and I stopped tapping my fork immediately. Effie, thinking that the reason I stopped was because of her request, promptly thanked me. Completely ignoring her, I found my eyes taking in every inch of Katniss's form. She was wearing the same outfit as yesterday; a lose green sleeveless shirt with dark, form-fitting pants. It hid, and yet, showed off all her curves, and it look completely stunning on her. I smirked, ' _Suck on that Yeast Beast. Good food, getting to annoy a Capitol person to no end, and seeing Katniss everyday. Can't get a much better pre-deathcation than that.'_

I could almost imagine Peeta flipping me the bird and throwing a piece of stale bread at me.

Realizing that my gaze was still trained onto Katniss and that she was looking at me strangely, I turned away and grabbed a bread roll and began to study it vigorously, attempting to sort out any flaws from it. Before I could say anything in an attempt to explain my seemingly freakish stare, Haymitch stumbled into the room, the fact that he had just recently woken up very obvious. The entire room became tense as he sat down and calmly grabbed a roll and started to spread jam across it. Shooting my hand out to grab the nearest thing that felt like a cup and bring it to my mouth, I was rewarded with a chalice used to hold long, thin sticks of bread stuffed with a sweet filling. Starring at the elongated pastries, I shrugged and grabbed one before placing the cup down.

"So," I said, point the bread at him, "You're the one who is supposed to give us advice and help us survive the games, correct?"

Haymitch nodded and replied, "Yep. I sure am. And I got a piece of advice for you right now. Stay alive and don't die."

I dropped my pastry and starred at him with narrowed eyes. I could take insults and slanders about my appearance and what not, but just the sheer amount of uncaring and stupidity in his voice offended me on a very deep level. I took my intelligence _very_ seriously and found it deeply insulting that he was treating me like I had none. I growl and crack my knuckles while Katniss levels an icy glare at him. Effie has the brains to realize that guano was about to hit the fan at about a thousand miles per hour and stood up to go sit somewhere else.

Katniss leaned forward, "Haha. Soo funny." She replied, sarcasm practically shooting out of her mouth like lava out of a volcano.

"Maybe," I say slowly, "You should give us some advice we _don't_ already know. That's kind of what advice is supposed to be."

"Maybe," Haymitch shoots back, his voice a mixture of Katniss's sarcasm and my icy slowness, "You two should learn to not piss off your mentor. Twats."

That was the last straw.

Standing up suddenly, I lunged forward and grabbed the liquor glass out of his hands and a threw it on the table, "Maybe you should realize that _THIS! Doesn't! Fix! ANYTHING!_ "

The room was silent, with everybody starring at me as if I had lost my mind. Haymitch clenched his jaw, the muscles in his neck bulging. Suddenly, the victor stood up and threw a vicious right hook at me. Despite being taken completely by surprise, I managed to evade his blow and grabbed the other fist as it shot towards me. Pulling it up to his face, I began to freely apply pressure, glaring at him, letting all of my pent up frustration and anger out on his hand and through my eyes. His eyes narrowed, and I knew that I was hurting him.

I took a strange sense of pride in that.

Unfortunately for me, I forgot one terribly important fact. Haymitch had _two_ hands, and the other one was sailing straight for my face. Smacking solidly into my jaw, my grip on his hand slackened enough for him to rip it out and throw a massive sucker punch straight into my solar plexus, effectively knocking both me down and the wind out of me.

Satisfied that I had been dealt with, Haymitch reached for the liquor bottle only for Katniss to drive a knife between him and the glass, barely missing his fingers.

Effie gasped and muttered something about the wood being mahogany. I rolled my eyes and quickly stood up, rubbing my jaw and plexus simultaneously. Haymitch, instead of looking furious or ready to kill like I though he would, sat back down into his chair and grinned like a mad-man. "Well, well, well." He began slowly, examining the both of us with keen eyes. "Do I actually have a pair of fighters this year?"

Katniss and I looked at each other, then looked back at the drunk. Motioning to the knife, he asked "Can you hit anything else besides a table with that sweetheart?"

In reply, Katniss picked up the knife and threw it across, narrowly missing Effie's head. It landed solidly between two pieces of wood, right down the crack. I admit, I was seriously impressed and I looked at Katniss with a new light. Perhaps I would spend more time trying to avoid her then the Careers.

Haymitch hummed before telling us to stand next to each other. Complying, Katniss and I fell into line and stood as still as we could. It was then that I noticed just how small she was next to me. I was easily four plus inches taller, several inches broader and far more muscled. But, she looked more dangerous; her pose showed power, confidence, and a deadly intelligence that was both intimidating and attractive.

Turning my focus back to Haymitch, I noticed that he was slowly walking around us, scanning us as butcher would scan a piece of meat. Crouching down, he grabbed both of our legs and squeezed them in different places. "Nice..." he muttered, "Firm, strong legs. Good for running, jumping, and breaking materials. Very good." Standing back up, he walked behind us and prodded our backs and commented once more, "Strong backs as well. I'm surprised." Finally, just to top it off, he grabbed both our arms and asked us to flex for him. Shrugging, I complied. Haymitch's eyes practically bulged out of his head when he looked at my arm. Katniss turned an interesting shade of red and looked away. Confused, I looked down at my bicep and asked "What? What's wrong?"

Haymitch, still gapping at my arm, asked in return. "Holy nuts kid. Do you lift or something? Strength enhancing drugs perhaps? Because you're biceps are BIG."

I glanced between him and Katniss before asking, "Haymitch, are you going to have a orgasm over my arm size?"

He didn't respond to my question but instead said, "Well, you two aren't entirely hopeless, and I suppose once the stylist get ahold of you, you two will be attractive enough." I nodded, knowing that prettier face equaled prettier sponsor gifts. Katniss huffed quietly and muttered quietly, "He won't have an orgasm, but I just might. You don't really need any stylist to look good, and you can bet I won't be forgetting _those_ any time soon, that's for sure."

I starred wide eyed at my fellow tribute, somewhat disgusted and flattered at the same time. Catching me starring, she faced me and said, "What? What are you starring at? I didn't say anything."

I nodded slowly and decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. Turning back to Haymitch, I spotted the victor leaning back in his chair, slowly stroking his beard. "Alright, listen up." he began, motion for us to sit down, "I'll stay sober enough to teach you guys and give advice _if_ you two don't interfere with my drinking habits and you do exactly as I say."

Katniss and I began to protest immediately. ' _Exactly what he said? That could lead to some very interesting situations.'_ Haymitch raised a hand and said, "EXACTLY! What I say to do! _Exactly. Do you two understand?"_

I sighed and nodded while Katniss simply rolled her eyes and looked the other direction. Deciding it was worth the effort to keep up the somewhat civil conversation we were having, I said. "Help us then mate. What would be the best strategy, say for someon-"

Haymitch held up a hand, silencing me. "Woah there bub. Take it one step at a time. First things first; we're almost at the Capitol. Once we get there, you two are going to be put in the hands of your stylist. You aren't going to like what they do to you, trust me. But, no matter what they do, touch, grab, or pull, you do not resist. _Do you understand?"_ he said, his voice the most serious I've ever heard it.

"But-" Katniss began, her mouth attempting to form words that just didn't seem to want to come out.

"No buts. Don't resist."

Effie squeaked up from the couch and said, "Look! We're here!"

Walking towards the window to get a glimpse at the acclaimed Capitol, I was greeted with blackness as the train went through a mountain. Starring into the seemingly infinite darkness, I blinked in surprise when my retinas were suddenly attacked by a barrage of colors. Once my eyes adjusted, I was greeted with the screaming masses of the Capitol. Resisting the urge to wince at their terrible fashion sense, I instead smiled broadly and started waving, hoping to excite the croud. Judging by their increase in screams, shouts, grins, and sheer joy, I must have been doing a good job.

I turned back and looked at Katniss, who was starring at me with a disgusted and horrified look on her face. "What?" I asked, "One of them might be rich. Everybody needs a sugar daddy, right?"

A small smile broke out on her face and Haymitch started laughing so hard he nearly feel out of his chair. "You better keep that knife sweetheart. Because that boy knows what he is doing."

* * *

 **(A/N: I almost ended it here, but, since I love you guys so much, I decided not to XD)**

"NO!" I screamed, sitting up on the table, holding an old Band-Aid and a used waxing strip that was covered in my leg hair in an attempt to protect myself.

"C'mon Nathan. Just lay down and relax! We can't have you looking like a hairy monster for everybody in the Capitol to see!" One of the girls on my prep team, who's name I believed to be Alecia, squeaked in a vain attempt to get me to calm down.

I shook my head firmly. "I don't care! It hurts like fricking _**crazy!"**_

"Well... you are a bit hairier than the usual tribute that comes in here. That much is for sure. I still don't understand why you kids from Twelve are so hairy."

I gave her a look that made her cringe, "It's because we're real men and women down there. With standard issue penises and unstudded eyeballs that work just the same, if not better, than your guys'."

Alecia laughed and playfully slapped my chest. "Oh! You're such a joker you cute little thing."

The other female, Feminalea I believe, butted in, " _Cute little thing_? Honey, I think you mean _Smokin'_ _Hot Hunkcules._ Woa-ho-ho! I wish every tribute that came in was as hot as you! The only other person on your level was Finnick Odair, and he was _years_ ago!"

I turned red at Feminalea's comment. Looking to the side, I quickly sat back down and muttered, "You guys have already rubbed three layers of my skin off, ripped off all the hair on my back, arms, chest, face, neck, and crotch, touched me in places I'd rather not be touched again, and I'm probably going to get thoroughly rubbed down when you guys are done. We might as well get it over with, eh?"

Alecia grinned. "That's the spirit! Now! Stick your legs out, if you would?"

I groaned but complied nonetheless. The once innocent grin on Alecia's face suddenly became sinister as she placed the waxing strips on my legs and grabbed the end. I closed my eyes and prepped myself for the end.

* * *

Once I had been thoroughly rubbed down, scrubbed, shaved, waxed, and groped, I was thrown in an empty room stark naked and told to wait for my stylist to come in. It got uncomfortable _very_ fast, standing in an completely empty room that just so happened to be freezing cold as well as completely bare.

Great.

Eventually, after what seem a life-time later, my stylist walked in. She smiled at me, introduced herself as Portia, District 12's new stylist, and then walked around me as to see what to do with me. I wasn't all too surprised by her appearance; dark cocoa colored skin, with a bright eccentric hair color and dangerously loud make-up, but her voice did take me by surprise. Instead of having the trademark high pitched Capitol accent, her voice was surprisingly normal. Deep, smooth, and soft. A nice change of pace from everyone that has spoken to me in the past five hours.

After she had circled around me a few times, she stopped in font of me as said while handing me a thick blue robe, " Here, put this on. It's rather cold in here, isn't it?"

I nodded and threw it on, thanking her in the process. "Soo... what do you have in mind for me?"

She shook her head and said, "Let's eat first. You must be hungry, no?"

I shrugged, "I'm not too hungry, but I supposed I could eat right now." My stomach disagreed and rumbled loudly, showing its opinion. Portia laughed and pressed a button, causing a large table filled to its maximum capacity with food to appear. It was at this point my stomach took over my mind and I charged forward, grabbing plate a filling it with food while simultaneously stuffing my mouth full with about everything that looked appetizing.

Portia smiled and said, "Woah there. Slow down now. We don't want you to get too bloated before the chariots, do we now?"

I blushed and put my plate of food down, but not before grabbing one last steak strip and slowly eating it. Portia chuckled at my antics. Sitting down, she folded her hands and looked straight at me. I wagged my eyebrows and starred straight back. Eventually, as per usually, Portia's eyes shifted away from mine and a huge smile broke out from my face. "I win."

Portia rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless. "Yes you do Nathan. Now, for your costume."

"Oh dear."

"My partner, Katniss's stylist, Cinna and I have decided to... _heat things up_ this year, so to speak."

"Am I going to be naked?"

"No. Well... not completely."

"That's not comforting whatsoever."

Portia chucked at that and continued, "You see. Originally you were going to be fully clothed... but now, I think I have an idea of what we can do to make even more of an impression."

"I'm honestly more worried about the tribute ride than the actually hunger games now." I muttered, being completely honest.

Completely ignoring my comment, Portia plowed on, "Hmm, well... Ah yes! Now, step over here. Mhmm, good, very good. Now, let me just go fetch some oils and then we'll get started!"

I grinned weakly and put both my thumbs up, mentally pleading that I would come out of this in one piece.

* * *

"I feel so stupid." I muttered, shooting Portia a glare.

She smiled at me, "But you look so devastatingly handsome. Trust me, everybody is going to be screaming your name."

I rolled my eyes and tossed the cape over my shoulder, doing my best to look as impressive as possible.

I feel that I did a pretty good job.

Eventually, we made our way to our chariot. Katniss and a man, who I assumed was Cinna, were already standing there, holding a light conversation. The man spotted and quickly waved us over. I was surprised at his... normalness. He was of medium height, dark cocoa colored skin with natural back hair and a slight growth of stubble on his jawline. The only think that stood out on his person was some golden eyeliner and a piercing in his right ear. Other than that, he was the most normal looking Capitol citizen I had ever seen in my life. He smiled lightly when we came over and stuck his hand out in greeting. "Hello, I'm Cinna. Katniss's stylist."

Grasping his hand, I shook it firmly and responded, "Nathan. Katniss's tribute partner. Pleasure to meet you."

"Same to you. Portia, I see you've made some... changes to his outfit."

She shrugged, " I couldn't help myself. I decided to take it up a notch, make an everlasting impression."

Cinna nodded, stroking his beard lightly, "Well. I must compliment your skills. He looks very good."

I bushed and turned my attention to Katniss. She was standing towards the back of the chariot, starring at our little group. Walking over, I grinned loosely and leaned on the chariot next to her. Deciding to start up a conversation, I did the thing that came naturally and gave her a compliment. "You look nice."

She raised an eyebrow, her eyes quickly flickering down to my torso before back up to my face, "You're not so bad yourself."

I chucked and leaned a bit closer, taking a deep personal satisfaction as her face turned a shade darker than it had been before. "Personally? I think I look incredibly stupid. Did you see what she did with my hair? Completely ridiculous!"

"It looks good on you actually. You look good with tousled curls."

"Thanks. You buffed up your braid a bit, it's a different, but nice change."

She rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless. "Well, did you lose your shirt on the way here? Because you're kind of missing it, much to the distain of everybody in the premises."

I held up my hands, "Woah there. You just stepped over the line. Don't insult this toned perfection here." I shot back while flexing all the muscles in my bare torso.

Once again, Katniss's face turned a light shade of pink, but rolled her eyes and punched me in the chest. I frowned in mock pain and pretended to be seriously wounded.

Before our flirtatious antics could go any further, Portia and Cinna came over, holding a very interesting torch, the tip wreath in greenish-white flame. Motioning for us to get onto the chariot, Portia grabbed my hand and said, "Alright. Now, listen up. Katniss, we're going to set your headdress and cape aflame. Nathan... well, your cape and entire torso are going to get lit."

Katniss nodded as if she had been told in advance what was going to happen. I, on the other hand, turned around and got ready to sprint off the chariot faster then you could say "Ryan Dean West". "Yeah. Listen... ummm, my bucket list is pretty long and has some crazy stuff on it, but getting torched on live TV is not one of them. Sooo, I'm out." Raising a foot as to step off, both Katniss and Portia grabbed me and pushed me back. "If I have to get roasted, then you do too Talcott." Katniss griped, giving me the evil eye.

Portia huffed and said, "Well, if you would let me explain instead of jumping to the worst conclusions, you would know that the fire is synthetic and that it won't actually burn either of you. Now hold still and let Cinna and I do the final touches." Beckoning her partner over, Katniss and Cinna had a quiet conversation with each other, greatly calming her down. I raised an eyebrow at Portia. "I think you and I both know that is real fire and that I'm going to be barbequed finer than a Capitol roast after about five seconds."

"No. It's synthetic."

"Just as synthetic as my face, which I suppose at this point is pretty fake looking, isn't it?"

"Yes it is."

"Thanks for the words of encouragement."

"My pleasure. And yes, I detected the sarcasm in your voice."

I grinned weakly and turned away from her, watching as the first set of chariots pulled out, causing the crowds to go into a mass panic and scream as loud as they possibly could. Faster than I thought possible, it eventually became our turn. I turned towards Katniss and whispered, "I'll rip yours off if you rip mine off."

She cracked a small grin and replied, "Deal."

Cinna walked up to us and said, "You two ready?"

I looked over at Katniss before responding, "No. But, light us up. Might as well die in style right?"

Cinna chuckled and touched the torch to our capes, Katniss's head dress and my torso. Instead of the scorching pain that I expected to feel, all I felt was a light stinging sensation. Portia smirked at me and walked away.

As soon as Cinna finished, our horses pulled forward as if on autopilot. Turning around, I saw Cinna shouting something while clasping his hands above his head. "What's he saying?" Katniss asked, trying to read Cinna's lips. "I think he wants us to hold hands." I replied before grabbing Katniss hand. Cinna threw us a thumbs up and waved us goodbye. I grinned before turning my head to face the front and immediately threw out all the nervousness that I had.

Once the crowd saw us, they went completely ballistic.

All the cameras focused on us; The kids on fire. Everybody was screaming our names, throwing flowers, blowing kisses, and a few even threw money. A large grin broke out on my face and I immediately started waving and winking at people, causing women to faint and girls to scream out their undying love to me. Katniss was doing similar actions, blowing kisses and catching roses, causing men to faint and lust after her. Leaning back, I shouted to Katniss, "We're one hot pair, aren't we?" She laughed loudly and a genuine smile broke out on both of our face.

Looking up, I spotted myself on a Television screen and I had to admit, I look absolutely stunning. My hair was tousled to the point were it would drive women crazy with the desire to run their hands through it. My teeth shined a brilliant white, sitting in two perfect rows while my eyes reflected the light of the fire perfectly, giving them the appearance of burning with emotion and desire. My bare torso, all oiled down and toned to perfection, was aflame, making me look like a god of some kind. The fire curled itself around my body, hissing like a snake prepared to strike, giving my skin an unnaturally dark tan. A long, fiery black cape fluttered behind me, giving off the appearance that I wasn't just on fire, but that I _was_ fire.

 _'Portia is never going to let me live this down.'_ I thought grimly, imagining the teasing that I would get from her.

The screen suddenly shifted itself to Katniss and my breath was ripped from my body. She was literally divine. Her silvery eyes glowed with beauty, the fire only enhancing everything about her. Her smile was radiant and her outfit burned brilliantly. For a second, I was a complete lost for words, and I knew that if anybody asked me to describe her at that moment, the only thing I would be able to say was, _"I was standing next the goddess of beauty."_

Eventually, we pulled into the circle with all of the other tributes. Realizing that I was still holding Katniss's hand, I quickly tried to let go, only for her to grip it tighter and whisper, "Don't. I feel like I'm going to fall out any moment."

Giving he hand a comforting squeeze, I nodded slightly and turned my attention back to the front. The crowd quickly quieted down as President Snow walked up and held his hands out. His speech was short and sweet, the exact same as it was every year. But, I knew that behind his façade of kindness and love for the Capitol citizens, he was a psychotic child-murderer that only cared for himself and his seat of power.

And that was all the reason I needed to hate him more than anything else on the planet. I glowered and it felt as if the fire around me reacted with my emotions, burning brighter and more furiously than it had been before.

Just as soon as Snow stepped up, he stepped down and we were guided off of Tribute Street and off to the Tribute Center. Inside the gates, Effie, Haymitch, Portia, and Cinna were all waiting for us. Effie squeaked in pride, Haymitch shot us a surprisingly sober grin, and Cinna and Portia helped us off the chariot. Just as I suspected she would, Portia leaned in and whispered in my ear, "I told you it was synthetic."

"Shut up."

* * *

On the way up to our floor in the tribute center, Effie blabbed about coal and how if you applied enough pressure on it, how it would turn into pearls. I frowned at her lack of knowledge on the subject and quickly explained that it would turn into diamonds, and how pearls were created by clams and such. Genuinely surprised by this, Effie simply shrugged and exclaimed, "Well, diamonds are better than pearls! Aren't they not?"

I rolled my eyes at this and remained silent for the rest of the way up.

One we reached our floor, I bolted out of the elevator, having enough of Effie's constant blabbering, and went in search of my room. Finding one that was filled with males' clothing, I quickly claimed it as my own and changed out of my clothes. As much as I liked walking around without a shirt on, I figured that it was awkward, at best, to everybody else.

Walking back, I spotted Cinna and Portia by the window sill, holding what seemed to be a pleasant conversation. Twisting, I quietly attempted to make myself scares before Cinna or Portia could spot me.

To say I was unsuccessful would be an understatement.

Cinna came up behind men and placed a hand on my shoulder while Portia grabbed me by my shirt collar and dragged me to the window sill. They smiled, and gave me either a firm man-hug or a full on hug. Awkwardly, I hug the stylist back.

"So, Nathan." Cinna began, a small smile playing on his lips,

"Oh dear." I mutter, prepping myself for whatever was incoming.

"How did you think Katniss looked today." he asked, his smile growing.

I shrugged and replied, "Nice. The same as she does everyday."

"That's it? She didn't look... Divine? Radiant? Beautiful?"

"Well..."

"Amazing? Like a Goddess? The definition of beauty?"

"This is a trick question, isn't it?"

"Only if you want it to be."

I gave Cinna a look and said, "Shut up, you burnt marshmallow."

"Say's the boy on fire." He shot back, wagging his eyebrows. "We're you the one that burnt me?"

Before I could respond, Effie and Katniss walked in and effectively ended the conversation. Picking a seat at the table next to Katniss, I glared at Cinna and Portia as they wagged their eyebrows at me.

Food was quickly delivered, and following close behind was a tray of wine. When it came around to me, I quickly passed it on to Katniss, who accepted a cup without a problem. She raised an eyebrow at me as I lean in close to her, "I wouldn't drink that if I were you. Wouldn't want to end up like Haymitch would we?"

She rolled her eyes and replied, "Well, it's a good thing that I'll be dying soon, won't it? So I might as well."

I sighed in defeat, "Well... just, don't drink the whole thing."

About ten minutes into dinner, Haymitch came in and made me do a double-take. He walked, not stumbled or shuffled, but walked up to the table and sat down. His hair was clean and pushed back behind his ears. His face was clean of all dirt, his outfit was matching and well put together and he smelled more of bad aftershave than spirits of every kind. _'Holy moly. Maybe he_ IS _pulling it together for us.'_

During dinner, he and Effie bantered less and he managed to hold an actual conversation with Cinna and Portia. I starred at him, mouth ajar. Katniss's reaction was similar, but more muted. Her eyes looked slightly glazed over and unfocused, as if she was looking at the world through a window being rained on. I winced slightly, I knew that she was reaching the first stage of being drunk. Jackson had once demonstrated what being drunk can do to people by getting drunk himself and then the next day, over a hangover, he told me about Ashton Khell; a tribute from twelve that almost caused a revolution due to the actions of two drunk men.

Needless to say, I swore to myself that I would never consume an ounce of alcohol in my life.

Once the main course was over, a small Avox girl walked out carrying a massive cake that shimmered slightly in the lights. Placing it on the table, she pulled out a match and placed it up against the cake, causing it to burst into flames for a moment before they faded away, leaving the cake perfectly fine.

I leaned back in my chair and whistled. Looking up, I posed the question, "Alcohol? I assume the cake was covered in it, right? Because that stuff can burn like nobody business. And it burn up very quickly, hence the quick burst of flames on the cake."

Haymitch looked impressed at my assumption. "Yeah. You're right kid. Alcohol. The best liquid on the planet."

I gave him a flat look, then turned my attention over to Katniss, who was eyeballing the young Avox girl. Suddenly, out of the blue, Katniss sad, "You look familiar... do I know you?"

The young Avox's eyes widened, and she frantically shook her head. My eyes widened slightly. Katniss _did_ know her. And from the way that the Avox was shaking her head, I knew that she knew Katniss as well.

Opening her mouth, Katniss began to speak and in that moment, I made the split decision to use my rather impressive lying skills and butt in. Snapping my fingers, I pointed at the Avox and said, "Delly Cartwright! That's why. She's a dead ringer for Delly."

Katniss, too drunk to think any different, nodded and turned away from the girl. All of the adults relaxed and I spotted the Avox mouthing, _'Thank you!'_

I nodded ever so slightly, acknowledging that I received her thanks and turned my attention back to the cake. Eating it quickly, we all get up and go watch a replay of the chariot rides. Despite telling myself that I wouldn't say or do anything, I couldn't help from my breath hitching as our chariot came out with us wreathed in flames, Katniss shinning in her godly beauty. "We look hot." Everybody chuckled at my offhand comment. Haymitch motioned to the TV and asked, "Whose idea was it for you two to hold hands?"

"Cinna's."

He grinned, "Nice touch there mate. Perfect dash of rebellion."

I blinked several times. I wasn't all to keen on starting a rebellion, or getting turned into an Avox for committing treason against the Capitol. Passing it off as unimportant, due to the fact that I would most likely be dying within the next few days, I pushed the comment to the back of my mind and returned my attention to the TV screen in front of me.

Eventually, the recording ended and Haymitch turned to us. "Alright. Tomorrow morning is your guy's first training session. Meet me for breakfast so we can go over how exactly I want you two to play it. Now, go to be and let us grown-up talk."

* * *

 **A/N: ALRIGHT GUYS! Chapter 3 finished! I hope you like it!**

 **Please make sure to check out my poll on my profile so you can end up with an arena that you want!**

 **Also, for all of those who are wondering who Ashton Khell is, check out the** ** _24 to life: 24th Hunger Games_ by _SexyBonBon._ He is a character in there that I used and have 100% permission from the author to use!**

 **Can't wait for the next chapter! See you guys then!**


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